It’s a question that was on so many lips even before Red Bull opted to swap Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda after just two races of the new Formula 1 season.
Comments made by Helmut Marko after the opening round in Australia had already put him firmly in the crosshairs of many fans, such was the overt display of his approach to handling young drivers.
Marko called Isack Hadjar’s tears – after the rookie crashed out on the formation lap in Melbourne – “a bit embarrassing”, in contrast to the widespread support that the Racing Bulls driver had received. Stefano Domenicali and Anthony Hamilton both consoled Hadjar at the time, and that was soon followed by supportive messages from fellow drivers.
To many on the outside, Marko’s remarks suggested that he’d lost touch with how to manage up-and-coming talent, although it must be noted that Hadjar himself defended the Red Bull advisor a week later in China.
Still, it’s hardly been a quiet start to the year for Red Bull’s driver management. Marko recently explained why Lawson was dropped and Tsunoda promoted so soon into the year, saying that part of the logic was tied to boosting Max Verstappen’s title chances.
The 81-year-old is certainly extremely close to the Verstappen camp, and that is where a lot of his influence now lies.
Marko was a close friend and confidant of former Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and was regularly called upon to offer advice about drivers prior to Mateschitz’s death in 2022. As an employee of Red Bull itself – rather than Red Bull Racing – Marko’s responsibilities were to be an advisor to the racing team, and that largely related to drivers but extended to whatever Mateschitz wanted Marko’s counsel on.
Mateschitz always had the final say on driver line-ups, and most of the options that Red Bull would be picking from would come from its famed young driver program, over which Marko had full autonomy.
However following Mateschitz’s death, a power struggle ensued and Marko has seen his influence within the company wane.
There are two sides to the Red Bull GMBH ownership: Thai businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya, and Mateschitz’s son Mark. The younger Mateschitz honors Marko’s role due to his historical relationship with his father, his importance when it comes to Verstappen’s position, and his track record at advising on a team that has been so successful in its time in Formula 1 so far. But Mateschitz does not have autonomy, and Yoovidhya generally backs Christian Horner’s leadership.
Team principal Christian Horner and team advisor Helmut Marko stand on opposite sides of the leadership divide that was created at Red Bull in the wake of founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death. But Marko’s close relationship with Max Verstappen means he is indispensable, even if his broader influence has diminished. Mark Thompson/Getty Images
It was Horner who placed experienced engineer Guillaume Rocquelin into a new position to work with the junior drivers on the program back in 2022 in an effort to establish some influence over the way drivers were developed. That was very much Marko’s domain and remains so to this day: Marko has complete power over which drivers are selected to be part of the program.
The Austrian also has control over deciding which teams drivers are placed with, and the categories they compete in, but Rocquelin has started to introduce other aspects to the program – including the reintroduction of a training and benchmarking program at Jerez – that has started to erode Marko’s total ownership.
Once it becomes a decision about the F1 seats – whether that is to promote a driver into Racing Bulls from the junior program, or to hand someone a Red Bull Racing drive – the final say still comes from the shareholders, and Horner and Marko are only in a position to offer their opinions.
In the case of the Lawson and Tsunoda swap, sources insist it was a unanimous agreement, even if that meant Marko going against Verstappen’s wishes for the New Zealander to be given more time to adapt to a tricky car.
The reason that’s surprising is because Marko has become ever-more aligned with Verstappen in recent years, including helping to negotiate his contract extensions with the parent company in Austria. The Verstappen-Marko relationship has become extremely tight, particularly in 2024 when the Dutchman emphasized the importance of Marko’s presence amid team infighting.
“I’ve always clearly indicated that he has to stay, so I can’t continue without him,” Verstappen said. “Helmut is very important for the team and for me to continue, for the future of the team.”
There was even a clause in Verstappen’s contract that would allow him to leave should Marko be removed from his position, and while it is understood that has since been amended, their respective futures remain closely intertwined. Marko erecently suggested he will leave Red Bull should Verstappen move elsewhere, and performance clauses could potentially allow the four-time world champion to do so before the end of his current contract in 2028.
But what to make of the some of the headline-inducing comments relating to current drivers or the team if Marko doesn’t have jurisdiction over them?
The former F1 racer has never been one to withhold an opinion, privately or publicly. It’s in keeping with how he has always approached his advisor role, and allows him to exert his point of view even if he doesn’t have an official say on certain matters.
His distance from the actual team itself also means he doesn’t have to be diplomatic, because the buck doesn’t stop with him. Some with close knowledge of working with Marko also suggest that some of his comments are geared towards helping him remain relevant.
Marko’s certainly seeing his influence in many areas of Red Bull Racing come under threat. But since he provides a direct line between Verstappen and the team’s ownership, he remains important to Red Bull’s most valuable asset. And while he’s important to Verstappen, he’s important to the team.
